- The Indri - The biggest lemur in the world and in Madagascar

You admire the world through what you love ( Lamartine )

The Indri( the biggest lemur in the world, in Madagascar )

family of indridae is, with its 75 to 90 cm ( adult size ), the largest of the current lemurs. It's the only lemur without tail ( It has tail but a very small one ). Weight about 8 to 12 kg. The Indri ( or the Black & White Teddy-like lemur ) can live up to 30 years old. Inhabits humid rain forests ( in the East part of Madagascar ). The most indicated spot for its observation is ANDASIBE ( a small Natural Reserve of 810 ha, at an altitude of 1 000 meters ).

The Indri ( the biggest lemur in the world, in Madagascar )

is diurnal, found in a small group of 2 to 10 individuals, and not exceeding a territory of 7 ha, the Indri eats chiefly leaves : 32 different species of leaves, it's why it's impossible to breed it in captivity. That means the Indri Indri eats approximately 1,5 kg of leaves per day. This biggest lemur of the world seldom goes down to the ground, and it does it only when it feels an acidulated taste in its stomach, also it neutralizes it by eating the ground.

Indri choose a horizontal branch each night as a sleeping site. Sometimes two members of the family will sleep huddled together. The infant will sleep with its mother and the next youngest offspring will usually sleep with the father. The Indri is active during the day. They wake up several hours after dawn and choose their sleeping site 2-3 hours before sunset. They don't moove during the night unless they are threatened by severe storms or predators.

The Indri ( the biggest lemur in the world, in Madagascar )

is mature at 7-9 years of age and it gives birth to only one baby every 2 or 3 years, with a 6 months gestation. The Indri copulate in November. The baby catches to the belly of its mother, the baby stops to suck its mother after 8 months, at which time it is able to move through the trees by itself.

The Indri cries and voice ( the biggest lemur in the world, in Madagascar )

Indri has several strange cries, prolonged and modulated ( communication cry, love cry, alert cry, … ), with a loud voice. Compared to other mammals, primates in general are very vocal, and lemurs are no exception. Lemurs will not only respond to alarm calls of their own species, but also alarm calls of other species and those of non-predatory birds.

Lemur calls can be very loud and carry long distances. The loudest is the Indri, whose calls can be heard up to 2 km or more and thus communicate more effectively the territorial boundaries over its 34 to 40 hectares home range.

Both Ruffed lemurs and the Indri exhibit contagious calling, where one individual or group starts a loud call and others within the area join in. The song of the Indri can last 45 seconds to more than 3 minutes and tends to coordinate to form a stable duet comparable to that of gibbons. Some of the most common calls are predator alarm calls.

The predators of their babies are the " Fosa " ( the biggest carnivore in Madagascar ) and some raptors. When they are afraid, they move by successive jumps from branches to branches. And it is always the female which decides the direction where the group must take.

In general, levels of aggression tend to correlate with relative canine height. The Indri has smaller canines and exhibits lower levels of aggression. When neighboring groups of the same species defend their territories, the conflict can take the form of ritualized defense. The Indri defends its home range with ritualized " singing " battles.

Andasibe-Mantadia National Park ( formerly known as Perinet, Madagascar )

Is actually made up of two parks : Reserve Speciale Analamazaotra and Mantadia National Parc. Its proximity to the capital Tana ( Antananarivo ), 140 Km away , or 3 - 4 hours drive along Route Nationale 2, makes this one of the more popular and easily accessible parks in Madagascar.

The Fauna that you usually see at « Andasibe Perinet - Mantadia National Park » are :

It's better to have one full day to visit these 2 Parks ( Andasibe Perinet and Mantadia )

A good trekking through Pandanus trees and tree-ferns. Where you can see too a large numbers of epiphytes and orchids. Andasibe Perinet - Mantadia National Parkis in a mid-altitude rainforest ( about 1000 m - 1200 m ), very easy to get to, just at 3 Kms to the North of the main N2 Antananarivo-Toamasina road ; about 140 Kms or four hours drive from Antananarivo.

The pleasant drive over highlands into the escarpment passes through many mud-hut villages and picturesque mountain landscapes. The climate is not too hot, and rain falls mainly at night so the mistshrouded rainforest creates an awesome spectacle in the early morning.

You can visit too the village of Andasibe which is a small medieval village. But it's a village which merits a couple of hours exploring and soaking up its inherent serenity. Andasibe and Mantadia area lies in a region of low hills covered by degraded forest and is punctuated by beautiful small lakes.

The most striking feature about the Indri Indri lemur is its voice :

While other lemurs grunt, the Indri sings an eerie and very loud wailing sound that resembles a police siren, and it carries for up to 3 Km away. Family group often occupy ranges which are proclaimed by territorial calls, helping to maintain spacing between groups of Indri. The best time to spot the Indri is either early morning or late afternoon.

The Indri was classed as vulnerable by the IUCN, the world's largest conservation organization. By 1970 it was listed as endangered. It's estimated that the total population could be as few as 1000. To see and to observe them don't hesitate to contact me : r_ravo@hotmail.com

Invitation to discover the Indri
( the biggest lemur in the world ),

I'm pleased to help you and to give you useful advice for a tour in Madagascar and to give you entire satisfaction to see Indri lemur. With my experience in tourism through Madagascar's National Parks and Reserves since ... 1993 I'm especially capable of providing all kind of travel arrangements. Please feel free to contact me for a customized itinerary ( individual tours, groups, essentials road trip, treks and adventurous trip, in luxury hotels, in tents and bivouac, etc. ). To organise your trip and to guide you to make your trip pleasing and unforgetable. No one who visits the island is left unaffected either by the warmth and hospitality of the Malagasy people. Madagascar is the kingdom of lemurs, the kingdom of baobabs and the kingdom of chameleons.

Through wonderful beaches, through evergreen humid forests, through montane rainforests, through baobab forests and deciduous dry forests, and through savanna and euphorbia scrub. Madagascar, a big island which lies in the Indian Ocean, eastern of Africa, is becoming a new destination for ecological tour lovers, for discovery tour lovers & for trekking tour lovers.

For example, to see really the Indri Indri and other species of lemurs :

A 14 days-trip in Madagascar where :

You will visit 3 important National Parks : Andasibe-Mantadia, Ranomafana and Isalo

You will be satisfy for lemurs watching

You will be satisfy for local people contact ( peasants, etc. )

You will use three means of transportation : the folk train, boat and vehicle

You will do alot of trekking and walking

You will discover what is important to see in Madagascar

But you will discover too marvellous things off the beaten tracks

I have worked in tourism in my country since ... 1993 till now as tour guide. So ... a lot of experiences ;-)

I love my country, Madagascar. I love public relations.
I love nature. I love people. I love trips.

These passions are what makes me good at my job. Thomas Peters said: « Success at work depends on passion ». I have passionate interest in tourism. And it's a pleasure for me to invite you to visit my wonderful country : Madagascar thank you.

For more details thank you to contact me at :

Clients' Testimonies after their trips in Madagascar :

• Erik Segers ( Belgium ) has written in « LinkedIn » :
If you want to discover Madagascar, Ravo is your man to organise your trip from A to Z. Thanks to his deep knowledge and boundless enthusiasm we had a truly first class visit of this wonderful island. Without a doubt, I do recommend, wholeheartedly.

• Another person has said, always in « LinkedIn » :
Ravo is a professional guide who knows well his trade. He’ll face any situation with mastery and good humour, without seeking personal gain. At the end of the journey he has become a friend and he really deserves to be known for everyone’s benefit ( Sylvain Lefèvre - France )